Callows

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to individuals, especially young ones, who lack experience or sophistication
2. Describing a state of immaturity or naivety that is evident in behavior or understanding
3. Characterizing someone as being untrained and lacking the necessary knowledge or expertise in a particular area

Etymology: Callow started out meaning simply "bald," and its first sense in English was a physical one. The Old English "calu" described a head without hair or a bare, unfeathered creature, and the Middle English "calwe" kept that bald-headed sense alongside the noun for a bald person. The shift to a young, inexperienced person came later, from the image of a bird that has not yet grown its feathers, so the word moved from hairlessness to immaturity. The root is ancient and widespread. Dutch "kaal," German "kahl" and Swedish "kal" all still mean bald, and Russian "gólyj" means bare or naked, which shows how closely related these words are across Germanic and beyond. Scholars disagree about whether the Latin "calvus" (bald) is a true relative or merely a look-alike, so the link is debated rather than settled. "Callows" is simply the plural of "callow," so it refers to several young, inexperienced people or creatures at once.

Synonyms: inexperienced, naive

Antonyms: experienced, mature